Food Vs Education - what's the need of the hour?

MFK Fisher said: First we eat, then we do everything else. So the quest for food is somehow more pressing than any other need. Millions of children around the world must work hard to get food, others go without food or still others consume food that’s not nutritious enough. 

Where in the priority of these children would be education then? If they go empty stomach every other night, how will they ever focus on studying? In a country like India, more than children, it’s the parents who constantly suffer from this dilemma. Should they fend for their children first or think about their education? 

Top NGOs in the country are striving to provide food and education to children so they never have to choose between the two most crucial aspects of a child’s growth. Akshaya Patra, however, went one step ahead and decided to incentivise education. When children come to school, they get mid-day meal free of cost. As a result, children are motivated to come to school while their parents feel unburdened of one-time meal so they can send their children to school every day. 

Combining food and education 

While as a basic physical need, the choice is obvious between food and education, yet both are equally important. When Akshaya Patra Foundation, which is today one of the top NGOs in the country channelising charity fundraising for education, set off on its mission to feed the children, it planned both food and education together. In active partnership with the government, the organisation succeeded in providing mid-day meals to millions of children in India. Akshaya Patra completed 2 billion meals in August 2016 and aims at establishing more centralised kitchens to reach out to more schools in 2017. 

With its mission of Food for Education, the organisation channelised schools, volunteers, parents and teachers to spread awareness about sending children to schools. The mid-day meal scheme had two-fold effect. On one hand, it helped in feeding children in schools and solved their problem of at least one-time meal. On the other hand, it encouraged parents to send all their children to school so no child in the family was deprived of education. 

But what was truly unexpected were the various aspirations that got wings in schools. There have been several children who didn’t know that if they were fed well, they would have the time to think about their future or dream about what they want to become as they grow up. Several hope stories emerged out when children came up to share their dreams and ambitions. 

We realised during this journey that food and education are intrinsically related. It’s true that good nutrition boosts the growth of the immune system. This enables children to pursue things other than just the physical needs such as food or sleep. The children who are well-fed find themselves full of energy and motivation to achieve and think. 

Akshaya Patra also engaged several other corporate organisations and individuals encouraging them to donate for a cause such as this. All charity donations going to the organisation are tax deductible donations. 

The Food for Education mission was aimed at realising that both food and education cannot be pursued separately. They need to be seen and sought together. If you think you can be part of a noble cause such as this, you may engage in charity fundraising and donate to us.

Solving India’s Hunger Problem – Why and How?

‘World hunger’ refers to the want or scarcity of food in a country. As the economies progress and development goes forward, the evil of hunger becomes a bigger challenge with growing populations. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) estimates that about 795 million people of the 7.5 billion people in the world were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-2016. That’s one in nine people. And almost all the hungry people, i.e., 780 million people live in developing countries including India. 

Hunger has taken its largest toll in Southern Asia including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Imagine the statistics on the children demographic. Globally, 161 million under-five-year olds were estimated to be stunted in 2013. Thus solving the problem of hunger is not a choice anymore. The reasons are plenty but the most prominent of them all is it’s slowly destroying our future – the children.

How can the hunger problem be solved? Of course there are top NGOs working towards reducing under nourishment among children. A lot of charity fundraising happens on a large scale in India where people generously donate for the cause. However, the real effort is in the detailing.

School to school 

Akshaya Patra, an NGO based out of Bangalore, identified the place where undernourished children can be found easily. There are several government schools around India that struggle to get children to school. The most common reason for kids skipping school is economic condition. While both parents need to work to fend for their families, older children are kept in charge of younger siblings. When Akshaya Patra decided to incentivise education by providing mid-day meals in schools, the idea caught up quickly. One of the best ways to solve the problem is to reach out to undernourished children and ensure both nutrition and education. The organisation encourages tax deductible donations apart from working in active partnership with the government. 

Meal to meal 

Another significant detail in the fight against hunger is ensuring that nutritious meals are served to children. Akshaya Patra CEO Shridhar Venkat, addressing at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Regional Initiative on Zero Hunger challenge (Bangkok), identified a crucial aspect of nutrition. He said that millets were not only more nutritious than cereals, they were naturally rich in fibre, minerals and iron. He outlined the inclusion of this particular cereal in ancient Indian meals. The meals at Akshaya Patra are replete with nutrients. Our cooks ensure that the meals are not boring and are varied enough for the children to enjoy while the meals are customised as per the region such as South India or Western India. This NGO in India is able to execute this plan through charity fundraising or tax deductible donations from generous people all over the world. 

Awareness 

Through Aanganwadi meals given to mothers and toddlers, the organisation also engages in making women aware of healthy nutrition for children. This sensitises mothers towards ensuring that they feed their children a healthy meal every day. When they cannot provide for these meals, Akshaya Patra engages in facilitating the same. 

The fight to hunger needs to be carried out with a concrete plan. It’s vital that these plans are localised based on country and regions in order to be effective. You can play your part by donating from wherever you are.

Why Mid-day Meal in Andhra Pradesh need Support?

One of India’s populous states and a coastal region, Andhra Pradesh is rich in history. Akshaya Patra, an NGO present in Vijayawada and other districts of this state, aims to feed the children with nutritious mid-day meals in order to encourage them to attend school.

Mid-day meal scheme in Andhra Pradesh and 10 other states has its benefits and India is at a stage where initiatives like this will contribute to nation-building. Food for education by Akshaya Patra (with a varied mid-day meal menu) is undoubtedly one of the solutions which will also contribute to Sustainable Development Goals – to eradicate global hunger by 2030.

Here are some of the reasons why your support will help our country achieve its mission:

To counter classroom hunger

According to United Nations – World Food Programme hunger statistics, 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world. To add to this, many children give school a miss due to hunger. To address this issue, Akshaya Patra began its Mid-Day Meal Programme which is now reaching out to over 1.6 million children. The programme looks forward to providing freshly cooked nutritious meals to children which eliminates hunger and encourages children to be a part of our educational system. With your support, we can reach out to more children to help them receive food and education.

To reach the unreached

As an NGO, our role is to reach underserved and unfed children across India. By implementing Mid-Day Meal Programme, children not only receive adequate nutrition, but also education. Yet while our intention and spirit are ready, our resources need your support. Reaching millions of children in India or feeding the hungry is a tall order and we have come thus far due to millions of generous hearts. You can simply sponsor a child so you help a child in Andhra Pradesh get education and food.

To feed the children

The blue bus: Akshaya Patra uses custom-designed insulated vehicles to deliver food from kitchens to school. So firstly, there is no spillage during transportation, and secondly, children are served fresh, hot meal every day. These vans leave from kitchens a few minutes before lunch time and ensure every beneficiary school receives food. You can support our meals on wheels by sponsoring a delivery van for effective operations of mid-day meals.

Akshaya Patra’s focus is to build a nation of hunger-free children and simultaneously encourage education. Mid-day meal scheme in Andhra Pradesh promises a healthy childhood for the state’s children. You can make your contribution by sponsoring a child or by getting involved with the Foundation’s activities. Just as Mother Teresa put it, ‘It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.’ Feed the children today by donating to Akshaya Patra. The children in Andhra Pradesh and all over India await your valuable help.